As many of you may know I have been volunteering as a photojournalist for Dallas South News, a non-profit organization that focuses its coverage on the underserved south side of Dallas. You may also be aware that my interest in photography began while serving in Iraq. Earlier this year I began working on a project that brought those two parts of my life together. It started as a small idea, to put together a collection of portraits of individuals from DSN’s coverage area to tell their stories. However, as I talked the idea over with my editor, Shawn Williams, it evolved into something completely different. We decided to focus on something that I was more directly connected to, veteran’s of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to expand the project beyond just sharing stories, but as a fund raising effort for both DSN and the Fisher House, a charity benefiting wounded soldiers.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have dominated the workings of this country for the better part of the last decade. There was hardly a day where there wasn’t a story about what was going on overseas. However, as time went on, and country became fatigued by two seemingly un-ending wars, the attention shifted to domestic issues. And when the financial crisis hit, that was pretty much the end of it. It is easy for us to forget that every one of those soldiers fighting overseas is a citizen, a member of our own communities. With this project we wanted to bring that focus back to those who served.

Working on this project, which was completely volunteer and donation driven, was incredibly rewarding for me. It allowed me to connect and work with fellow veterans, and at the same time, work towards benefiting those in need and my own community. We were able to include each branch of service and very diverse group of individuals. Each brought their own unique perspective, personal story, and experiences of serving over seas. The photographs were displayed at the Janette Kennedy Gallery in Dallas for a one-week showing. This was my first gallery event and I am grateful it came in such a fulfilling experience. I would like to personally thank both UMoveFree.com and the South Side Public Improvement District for their donations that made this possible. View the entire Citizen Soldier Gallery at grantmeeksphoto.com.

I had my first image used published in a magazine ad for Agape & Zoe Naturals last month. It is in the May issue of Zooey Magazine right inside the cover. As a photographer it is always a good feeling to see and hold a print of one of your photographs. To be able to go to a Barnes & Noble and pick up a magazine and find one of your photographs inside, however, brings that feeling to a whole other level. I’m glad that this image was the first one published, as it is one of my favorites and I had a really great time working on the shoot. Here is one of the color shots from that day:

Also, I did some work a while ago for A Tragic Fake, and they ended up using a couple of their images for their CD artwork. Again, it is really gratifying to see your work out their being shared with so many other people.

I’ll be posting soon about a personal project that I have been working on over the past several months, but in the mean time I thought I would share these portraits of my dogs. The project involved shooting portraits against  a black background, which of course I wanted to test out before working with any of the subjects. So… I grabbed my two dogs and sat them down to test a few things out. It’s great having your own personal test subjects.

I wanted to share a few photos from a recent shoot I did for Bella Rose Jewelry. This was a little bit of a change of pace for me, as I usually work with just a musician or band. This was a whole production with stylist, hair and make up, model, and the owners and designers of the jewelry all working together. It was a lot of fun, both working with a great team and doing something new. Sallie LeBlanc, our stylist, was a huge help in putting everything together, not only with the wardrobe, but really working more like a producer. Alisha McCasland did a great job with the hair and make up. She was able to give us five really distinct looks and made my job editing much, much easier. Our model Golden Chouffet was an absolute pro in front of the camera. All in all it was a great experience and something that I hope to do a lot more of in the future.

Just finished up some new promo material for A Tragic Fake recently. They just finished up their latest recording session and needed new images to go along with their new tracks in preparation for their bid to win the Battle of the Bands. Didn’t get to hit a few of the spots I had planned on, but we ended up with some great stuff. Two of the images will even be featured on their new CD!

We were just standing around looking for the next shot when Corey launches into a backflip off the wall!